IND vs ENG, 2nd Test: India vs England, Second Match – Who Said What?

India bounced back after falling short in the opening Test against England in Hyderabad, winning the second game in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs on February 5 to make it 1-1. Yahasvi Jaiswal and Jasprit Bumrah played pivotal roles in helping India beat the Ben Stokes-led side and level the series.

Batting first after winning the toss, the hosts scored a mammoth 396. Jaiswal led the charge for his side as he brought his first double-hundred and ended his innings at 209. Meanwhile, for England, James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, and debutal Shoaib Bashir all grabbed three wickets each. Then, Bumrah challenged the English batters with his reverse swing as India restricted the tourists by 253 runs in the second innings.

Shubman Gill starred with the bat in the third innings, with a century as India posted 255 runs, setting a mammoth 399-run target. Despite making a solid start in the final innings, England struggled in front of the Indian bowling attack and were bundled out for 292 runs in the first session of the final day. 

Here are the talking points of the match:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal hits first double-hundred in Test

Young batting sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his first-ever double-century in India’s first innings. He has scored 209 runs, with the help of 19 boundaries and seven maximums. The 22-year-old has become the third youngest Indian batter to register a double century in the longest format of the game. He also became the fourth Indian batter to hit a double hundred in the World Test Championship.

2. Jasprit Bumrah picks nine wickets 

Jasprit Bumrah showcased his prowess, picking a career-best 6/45 in England’s first innings. Notably, it was his tenth five-wicket haul in the game’s longest format. He carried his form in the final innings as well, claiming three wickets, including the last one with Tom Hartley. His match-winning performance enabled him to win the Player of the Match award.

3. Shubman Gill smashes third Test century

Shubman Gill hammered a resounding century on Day 3 of the second Test, achieved in 132 balls. With this ton, he broke a long streak of poor scores in red-ball cricket. In particular, it marked Gill’s third hundred in the format, who made his Test debut in 2020.

Losing Captain, Ben Stokes, England said: 

Coming into this last innings, had full belief in ourselves that we’ll chase it down. In moments like that, in games with scoreboard pressure, that’s where we get the best out of ourselves. Another great game to be a part of. There’s no suggestion whatsoever about how to play. Everyone in the dressing room is a quality player. They are good enough to go out there and assess the conditions, and decide how to go about it. I absolutely loved it (captaining the spinners). To put in the performance they did yesterday was incredible. They showed a lot of maturity beyond the years. He’s amazing (Anderson). Two guys who’re incredible bowlers (Anderson and Bumrah).

 Winning captain, Rohit Sharma, India said: 

He is a champion player for us (Bumrah). When you win a game like that, you have to look at the overall performance as well. We were good with the bat. You know winning a Test in these conditions is not easy. Wanted our bowlers to step up and they did that. He looks like a good player, understands his game really well. Long way to go for him, has got a lot to offer for our team. Hope he stays humble. Wickets was really good to bat on. If I have to point anything, lot of the batters got starts but couldn’t get big score. But I understand they’re young and new to the game. Important for us to give them confidence. Very proud of such a young squad to come up against a team like that. Lot of the guys are quite young in terms of playing this form of the game. It’ll take some time to be absolutely spot on. Want them to play freely without any pressure. Last couple of years England have been playing good cricket. Knew it wasn’t going to be an easy series. Three more to go. We’ll keep our check on it and make sure we do most things right.

 Player of the Match, Jasprit Bumrah, India said: 

As I said before, I don’t look at numbers. As a youngster I did that and it made me excited. But now it’s an added baggage. As a youngster that is the first delivery I learned (yorker). Had seen the legends of the game. Waqar, Wasim and even Zaheer Khan. We’re going through a transition so I feel it’s my responsibility to help them in any way I can. We discuss certain things. Have been playing with him for a long period of time (Rohit). No not really (competition with Jimmy?). Before a cricketer, I’m a fast bowling fan. If somebody’s doing well, kudos to them. I look at the situation, at the wicket and think what are my options. I should not be a one-trick pony.